57 BDR soldiers on run with huge arsenal pose major threat

As many as 57 BDR soldiers, suspected to be involved in the February's bloody mutiny in Dhaka, are still at large with lethal firearms like machine guns, RPGs and mortar shells and now pose a major security threat to Bangladesh, officials said.

As many as 57 BDR soldiers, suspected to be involved in the February's bloody mutiny in Dhaka, are still at large with lethal firearms like machine guns, RPGs and mortar shells and now pose a major security threat to Bangladesh, officials said.

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The number of Bangladesh Rifles' personnel still missing has come out in an official list prepared and made public by the government in Dhaka on the rebellion in which 75 people, including 57 army officers, were killed.

In a statement issued last night, BDR said 209 grenades, one rocket propelled grenade and five 60 milimetre mortar shells along with 119 firearms including rifles and machine guns and over 45,000 bullets were found to be missing as the officials carried out an inventory of the BDR arsenals at the Pilkhana.

"Some of the ammunition and explosives were used inside Pilkhana during the mutiny, which means the rest were taken away by the mutineers," said a BDR official requesting anonymity.

Security analysts feared the rebel soldiers who fled the BDR headquarters after the last month's savage mutiny along with the weapons posed a major security threat with their suspected links to militant groups.